April 2005
Dear Paula,
I have a problem that I am sure many other women share but that I rarely see discussed: body hair. My eyebrows are fairly well-defined, but I have stray hairs all around them. I have dark hair on my arms, upper lip hair, and very coarse bikini line hair. Over the years I have plucked, shaved, waxed, sugared, and used depilatory creams, lotions, and potions. It seems like a never-ending battle. I can?t keep spending hours on hair removal, especially during the long Florida summer. I have considered electrolysis and laser hair removal, but quite frankly, I am a bit embarrassed. What are my options? What exactly is involved in having ?professional? hair removal? How often does it need to be done, how do I prepare for it, and how in the heck do you get comfortable with another person removing hair in such a delicate and personal area of the body?

I have been a fan of your advice for years. Any help you can provide to make this topic less embarrassing would be greatly appreciated.

Kathy, via email

Dear Kathy,
I'm not sure I can help you with your embarrassment other than to say that when you go to a spa or physician who does any kind of hair removal, you have to understand that you are not the first patient they've helped to remove hair in private areas, nor are you the one with the most hair. It's like getting used to seeing a gynecologist. As embarrassing as that can be for some women, you simply tell yourself, my private parts aren't the first he or she has looked at and this person is here to help me.

The only necessary preparation for any type of hair removal is to not have it done over freshly exfoliated skin. Products such as AHAs, BHA, retinoids (like Retin-A or Renova), or facial treatments like microdermabrasion can make the skin more sensitive and you can actually get a mild or moderate irritant or burn reaction if you try to remove hair from those areas too soon. In terms of efficacy and some level of permanence, there is no question that electrolysis and laser hair removal are the best options, but there are pros and cons to both. Electrolysis can be far more time-consuming, taking regular weekly visits for a year or more to obtain lasting results. Further, the practice of electrolysis is not standardized, and regulation of the procedure varies from state to state (Source: American Family Physician, November 2002, pages 1907-1911), which means you can't always rely on the quality of service or experience of the electrologist.

Laser hair removal also requires repeat treatments, but not as frequently as with electrolysis. The need for repeat laser treatments varies from person to person, depending on genetic makeup, related hormone activity, and the kind of laser being used (which varies from doctor to doctor). You may only need treatments once every three or four months or as little as twice a year. A review on laser hair removal in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment (April 2004, pages 72-83) stated that "From substantial clinical experience, it becomes apparent that in the ideal subject with fair skin and dark hair, a single treatment can reduce hair by 10-40%; three treatments by 30-70%; and repeated treatments by as much as 90%. These results persist for as long as 12 months." I hope this information helps you decide how to approach this "delicate" matter.